Boulder Middle Schools

Casey Middle School

This middle school, located within walking distance of downtown Boulder, provides Boulder's students with a dual-immersion Bilingual program at the middle school level. The teachers plan strategies for teaching both first and second language learners, and they keep office hours available each week to address any concerns from parents. Casey also offers a traditional middle school curriculum in addition to the bilingual education program and offers a variety of extracurricular activities as well including Homework Help, Chess League, Hip-Hop Culture Club, and Outdoor Adventures. The school's CSAP scores tend to trend lower, but this is probably a result of students not yet proficient in English taking an English-language test. For more information, check out:

Centennial Middle School

Located in North Boulder, Centennial Middle School presents the Boulder Valley Curriculum with a focus on developing technological proficiency. Students have the option to take elective such as Applied Technology, Computer Power Multimedia Productions, and Desktop Publishing Office Aid; students also have access to the Internet through the school's library. The school's website says that the school provides a "strong emphasis on maintaining small class size, interdisciplinary team teaching, and teaming of students" to augment the educational experience. The school also provides students with safe, anonymous ways to report any troubling concern or conduct from students or teachers and works to "overcome any 'code of silence' that may exist in current student culture." The Colorado Board of Education gave Centennial an "excellent" rating for the 2004-2005 school year due to the school's extremely high CSAP scores. For more information, check out:

Manhattan School Of Arts And Academics

The school's website states, "Our challenging academic program is very similar to other middle schools in the Boulder Valley School District. Our curriculum, like other BVSD schools, is determined by the Division of Learning Services." The difference between this school and others in the district is that Manhattan offers an optional program focused on visual and performing arts including theater, choral music, and instrumental music. Students enrolled in the program spend several hours each day learning different aspects of their chosen focus, culminating in an annual Arts Festival to show off their talents. The school also offers the standard extracurricular activities including sports, jazz band, choir, theater, and science club. The Colorado Department of Education rated this school "high" for achievement on CSAP tests. The school scored above the state averages but below other schools in the district. For more information, check out:

Nevin Platt & Platt Choice Middle School

Platt Middle School offers two separate academic curriculums: one a traditional neighborhood middle school, one an "experiential program." Started in 1987, CHOICE, which stands for Cooperative Hands on Integrated and Community Education, is not a separate focus school but a focus program existing within the same school. Children attend multi-age classrooms and have a separate group of five teachers that teach core subjects while attending elective courses with the rest of the school. CHOICE students meet daily in small groups to work on teamwork, to receive individualize help, and to assess goals for their assignments. The traditional neighborhood school offers students a wide variety of electives in addition to the standard Boulder Valley curriculum. The school scores very high on CSAP tests, and the Colorado Department of Education gave the school an "excellent" rating for the previous school year. For more information, check out:

Southern Hills Middle School

Southern Hills is an accomplished and high-achieving middle school with a record of accomplishment for academic excellence. Students attending this school have recently won regional spelling bees, science fairs, and Quiz Bowl events. The school has four winners of the Impact on Learning award, granted annually to five teachers within the district. Spanish teacher Rosalind Hanckel won the 2002 Colorado Outstanding Spanish or Portuguese Teacher award from the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. The school offers honors classes, a Talented and Gifted program, and a slew of extracurricular sports and clubs for students to enjoy. The school also scores extremely well on CSAPS, and has received an "excellent" rating from the Colorado Department of Education for several years in a row. For more information, check out:

Summit Charter Middle School

As the only middle school in the Boulder Valley School District to receive the United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon School Award - and the school has received the award twice - Summit fills a unique niche in the city of Boulder. As a fully open-enrolled school that charges no tuition to attend, the school places students in classes by proficiency rather than age, creating an environment that could simultaneously involve students from three grade levels. The school also retains an accomplished faculty: 21 out of 26 teachers have post-graduate education including one teacher with a Ph.D. from New York University. The students have won many awards; the school's website contains many news articles and letters published about or by students at the school. Summit is an example of a successful charter school and consistently receives the highest CSAP scores in the district. For more information, check out: